In industry it is frequently necessary to filter liquid to remove entrained solids. A common problem is that of removing entrained iron particles, iron filings and other paramagnetic contaminants. The use of magnets for this purpose has long been recognized. In addition, the use of barrier type filters has been employed. One problem which has existed with magnetic or barrier filters, or combinations of the two, is that the iron filings soon accumulate on the surface of a barrier filter and form a substantially impervious layer. The filter thereby becomes "clogged," requiring frequent cleaning or replacement of filter elements.
The present invention is directed towards a filter particularly adapted for removing entrained ferromagnetic particles from a fluid, including the use of combination of magnets with a barrier type filter in an arrangement wherein magnetic lines of flux are oriented in such a way as to substantially increase the contaminant collecting ability of the barrier filter before it becomes impervious to the passage of liquid.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved filter for separating paramagnetic contaminant particles from liquid.
More particularly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved combination magnetic and barrier filter arranged in a way to greatly increase the contaminant collecting capability of the barrier filter.
These general objects as well as other and more specific objects of the invention will be fulfilled in the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.